1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention lies within the medical arts. More specifically, it resides within the total parenteral nutrition or intravenous hyperalimentation technology and field. This field incorporates the feeding of essential nutrients intravenously directly into the blood stream.
The specific area in which this invention is directed toward, is the training of home parenteral nutrition patients in the proper asceptic handling and maintenance of their permanent in-dwelling central venous catheters. The device provides for this in the manner as set forth hereinafter to solve the problems of the prior art with regard to training such home parenteral nutrition patients.
2. Background of the Invention
There has been a long standing need that has been recognized for parenteral means of providing calories in excess of five hundred to seven hundred calories. The provision should be safely provided by the peripheral intravenous infusion of five percent dextrose solutions that have been standard for many years. Higher concentrations frequently cause inflammation of the veins and even thrombophlebitis.
Oftentimes, there are patients with severe bowel disorders whose G.I. tracts require complete bowel rest to heal properly. Other patients have been debilitated to the extent where their lean muscle masses have wasted away during years of cardiac decompensation. Furthermore, newborn infants with chronic diarrhea or congenital G.I. anomalies oftentimes require feeding through parenteral nutrition.
In addition to the foregoing types of patients, some suffer from generalized sepsis, trauma, or cancer and cannot, or should not take enough food by mouth to meet the enormous metabolic needs created by their diseased state.
All of the foregoing patients have been generally starving to one extent or the other while not receiving the nutrients and quantities of nutrition that they would require to save their life.
Without proper nutrition, such consequences of weight loss, muscular weakness, poor wound healing, reduced immunocompetence, increased likelihood of post operative complications, increased morbidity, mortality and generally impeded recovery from primary illnesses takes place. Therefore, the infusion of high volumes of properly balanced nutritional fluids is extremely important.
To this extent, total parenteral nutrition or intravenous hyperalimentation has been used to feed essential nutrients intravenously. This specific technique is used when gastrointestinal tracts as set forth above cannot accurately adjust and absorb sufficient nutrients to meet nutritional requirements.
Each day the body must be supplied with adequate amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. To this extent, a solution is necessary with the foregoing for purposes of feeding into the body. Such total parenteral nutrition solutions (i.e. comprising dextrose or glucose, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids, along with proscribed dietary supplements) provide the nutrients to the body through the solution.
In order to implace the solution in the body, use of a catheter is implaced within a large vein close to the heart. Use of a central vein is necessary to prevent thrombosis or clotting which would occur if a smaller peripheral vein in the hand or arm were used.
The feeding of solutions has been used in hospitals since 1966 and has been successfully adapted for use at home.
Such usage generally consists of a surgically implaced silastic catheter into a large bore central vein. Sterile solutions are pumped through the vein by an electric infusion pump which controls the rate.
All the foregoing is of no consequence to a person trying to learn to feed oneself at home without proper training. As a consequence, the inventor has found that as a practical solution for teaching one to use home parenteral nutrition, it is necessary that they be trained properly. This is necessary for a number of reasons.
Firstly, care in the use and maintenance of the implanted catheter helps to prolong its life. Secondly, significant infections can develop around the catheter if care and training is not utilized.
A very important aspect is that between infusions, the catheter may become clotted with blood. This must be prevented by instilling Heparin, a medication that prevents blood from clotting. The Heparin must be implaced in the catheter in a discrete manner and sealed properly. In addition thereto, a particular step function must be utilized with regard to the utilization of clamping the catheter off to prevent undesirable results, either during the instilling of the Heparin or the other utilization of the catheter.
In order to provide a person with the catheter, it is threaded by using a sterile surgical technique in the operating room. An incision is made over the appropriate vein. The catheter is then threaded through the vein into the subclavian vein until the tip of the catheter enters the super vena cava. To help place the catheter tip accurately, an X-Ray unit is used in the operating room.
The other end of the catheter is tunnelled under the skin and exits near the middle of the chest and incorporates a dacron velour cuff that lies under the skin in order to allow the body tissue to grow into the cuff and anchor the catheter.
Once the catheter is implaced and covered with a cap known as a Luer-Lok, the patient is then ready to receive parenteral nutrition, or intervenous hyperalimentation which shall be interchangeably used in this specification.
Before using the catheter for feeding through a pump, the patient must become aware of how to use the catheter. It is this particular training device which allows patients to do that, and be placed at home in a situation where they can feed themselves through the pumping and utilization of parenteral nutrition fluids.
The foregoing training is one which takes place in the manner hereinafter set forth in combination with the process and invention hereof.
The specific trainer of this invention allows for one to train oneself for the prospective use of home parenteral nutrition feeding apparatus so that the end result is a well trained, confident patient who can feed oneself at home through the various procedures required. As a consequence, this invention is a substantial step over the prior art in helping patients feed themselves through parenteral nutrition to add longevity and health to their lives.